On Wednesday 18 June, when the European Parliament adopted the report by Portuguese MEP Ana Catarina Mendes (S&D) on the Commission’s 2024 report on the Rule of law by 405 votes for to 210 against with 36 abstentions, it confirmed the persistence of a wide “range of threats to the Union’s values in the Member States”.
The majority of the ECR, PfE and ESN groups voted against, as did around thirty MEPs from the EPP Group.
The adopted report “underlines the need for independent and efficient judicial systems staffed by highly qualified personnel and stresses the importance of evaluating ongoing reforms in the Member States, while condemning interference in corruption investigations and the misuse of judicial systems for political purposes”, summarises the European Parliament in a press release.
It also highlights the deterioration in the protection of minorities and vulnerable groups, “with a strong focus on LGBTIQ+ people. And it deplores the Commission’s intention to withdraw the draft horizontal directive on equal treatment”. Hate crimes and hate speech must become criminal offences at European level.
The report also mentions “Hungary’s persistent violations of European values” and urges the EU Council to unblock the procedures blocked under Article 7.
The MEPs added an amendment on political interference in the judiciary, aimed at Spain, and a reference to the agreement on the European Ethics Body was deleted.
The Commission will publish its new annual report on 8 July.
Link to the adopted text: https://aeur.eu/f/hex (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)